1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for constructing an enterprise application system (which will be hereinafter simply referred to as an xe2x80x9centerprise systemxe2x80x9d). More specifically, the invention relates to a method for constructing an enterprise system using a framework which is described by an object-oriented language; a computer readable recording medium in which an enterprise system framework has been recorded; a system for supporting the construction of an enterprise system; and a computer readable recording medium in which a program for supporting the construction of an enterprise system has been recorded.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, as systems for integrally processing a wide variety of businesses in business enterprises, enterprise systems are widely noticed. The enterprise system is a system for integrally supporting activities on the whole business enterprise by cooperatively operating a plurality of application programs which realize various businesses and which are arranged on a computer system.
By the way, such an enterprise system is generally realized by a large-scale computer system including a plurality of hardware elements, such as clients, a server, a database and a mainframe, and also executed on an environment, such as Internet or an intranet, in addition to the existing client/Server environment (a stand-alone client/server environment), in accordance with the kind of application programs and so forth.
Therefore, when such an enterprise system is conventionally developed, an application program based on the existing client/server environment (a client/server application system) and an application program based on an environment, such as Internet or an intranet (an Web application system), are independently developed.
As described above, conventionally, application programs serving as objects to be integrated are independently developed every executable environment.
However, in such a conventional development method, even a basic structure of an enterprise system common to application programs is individually developed every application program. In addition, a program for integrating the application programs must be constructed from the beginning. Therefore, there are problems in that it is not possible to share and reuse the whole structure of the system and it is not possible to flexibly and easily change and extend the enterprise system in accordance with specification change and function extension.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate the aforementioned problems and to provide an enterprise system constructing method; a computer readable recording medium, in which an enterprise system framework has been recorded; a system for supporting the construction of an enterprise system; and a computer readable recording medium, in which a program for supporting the construction of an enterprise system has been recorded, which are capable of supporting to rapidly construct enterprise systems to integrate the basic structures of the enterprise systems to share and reuse the whole structure of the systems, and of flexibly and easily changing and extending the enterprise systems.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an enterprise system constructing method for constructing an enterprise system using a framework which is described by an object-oriented language, the enterprise system constructing method comprising the steps of: preparing an enterprise system framework, which include (a) an enterprise system basic framework which defines a basic attribute and behavior of an enterprise system, (b) a client/server application system framework, an Web application system framework and a server application system framework, which inherit the enterprise system basic framework and which define a basic attribute and behavior of a stand-alone client/server application system, a network-oriented client/server application system and a server-oriented server application system, respectively, and (c) a framework for integrating systems, which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a combination of the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework and the server application system framework; inheriting the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework and the server application system framework of the enterprise system framework, respectively, to prepare a client/server application system, an Web application system and a server application system; inheriting the framework for integrating systems of the enterprise system framework to prepare an integrating system; inheriting the enterprise system basic framework of the enterprise system framework to prepare a main system; utilizing the integrating system to construct a hierarchical possessive relationship between the client/server application system, the Web application system and the server application system; and integrating the client/server application system, the web application system, the server application system, the integrating system and the main system.
In the above described enterprise system constructing method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the hierarchical possessive relationship between the client/server application system, the Web application system and the server application system is preferably constructed as a tree structure, the vertex of which is the integrating system.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable recording medium, in which an enterprise system framework described by an object-oriented language is recorded, the enterprise system framework comprises: an enterprise system basic framework which defines a basic attribute and behavior of an enterprise system; a client/server application system framework which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a stand-alone client/server application system; an Web application system framework which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a network-oriented client/server application system; and a server application system framework which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a server-oriented :server application system.
Preferably, the above described Computer readable recording medium according to the second aspect of the present invention further comprises a framework for integrating systems, which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a combination of the client/server application system framework, the web application system framework and the server application system framework. In addition, the framework for integrating systems is preferably formed so that a hierarchical possessive relationship between the client/server application system, the Web application system and the server application system, which inherit the client/server application system framework, the Web application framework and the server application system framework, respectively, is constructed as a tree structure, the vertex of which is an integrating system inheriting the framework for integrating systems.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable recording medium, in which an enterprise system framework including a group of frameworks, which are described by an object-oriented language and which are capable of delivering data between systems generated by each of frameworks, is recorded, the enterprise system framework including; an enterprise system basic framework which defines a delivery of data between systems; and a group of frameworks for various executable environments, which inherit the enterprise system basic framework.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable recording medium, in which an enterprise system framework including a group of frameworks, which are described by an object-oriented language and which are capable of transmitting and acquiring data between systems generated by each of frameworks, is recorded, the enterprise system framework comprising: an enterprise system basic framework which defines a transmission and acquisition of data between systems; and a group of frameworks for various executable environments, which inherit the enterprise system basic framework.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable recording medium, in which an enterprise system framework including a group of frameworks, which are described by an object-oriented language and which are capable of constructing a hierarchical possessive relationship between systems generated by each of frameworks, is recorded, the enterprise system framework comprising: an enterprise system basic framework which defines a basic attribute and behavior of an enterprise system; a group of frameworks for various executable environments, which inherit the enterprise system basic framework; and a framework for integrating systems, which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a combination of the group of frameworks for various executable environments.
In the above described computer readable recording medium according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the framework for integrating systems is preferably formed so that a hierarchical possessive relationship between a group of Systems, which inherit the group of frameworks for various executable environments, is constructed as a tree structure, the vertex of which is an integrating system inheriting the framework for integrating systems.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for supporting the construction of an enterprise system, using a framework which is described by an object-oriented language, the enterprise system framework including (a) an enterprise system basic framework which defines a basic attribute and behavior of an enterprise system, (b) a client/server application system framework, an web application system framework and a server application system framework, which inherit the enterprise system basic framework and which define a basic attribute and behavior of a stand-alone client/server application system, a network-oriented client/server application system and a server-oriented server application system, respectively, and (c) a frame work for integrating systems, which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a combination of the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework and the server application system framework, said system for supporting the construction of an enterprise system comprising: means for inheriting the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework, the server application system framework and the framework for integrating systems of the enterprise system framework, respectively, to prepare a client/server application system, an Web application system, a server application system and an integrating system, and for inheriting the enterprise system basic framework of the enterprise system framework to prepare a main system; means for utilizing the prepared integrating system to define a hierarchical possessive relationship between the client/server application system, the Web application system and the server application system; and means for integrating the client/server application system, the Web application system, the server application system, the integrating system and the main system.
Preferably, the above described system for supporting the construction of an enterprise system, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, further comprises means for carrying out processing, such as retrieval, editing, registration or deletion, with respect to the enterprise system framework.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable recording medium, in which s system for supporting the construction of an enterprise system, using a framework which is described by an object-oriented language, is recorded, the computer readable recording medium causing a computer to execute procedures for: preparing an enterprise system framework, which include (a) an enterprise system basic framework which defines a basic attribute and behavior of an enterprise system, (b) a client/server application system framework, an Web application system framework and a server application system framework, which inherit the enterprise system basic framework and which define a basic attribute and behavior of a stand-alone client/server application system, a network-oriented client/server application system and a server-oriented server application system, respectively, and (c) a framework for integrating systems, which inherits the enterprise system basic framework and which defines a basic attribute and behavior of a combination of the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework and the server application system framework; inheriting the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework, the server application system framework and the framework for integrating systems of the enterprise system framework, respectively, to prepare a client/server application system, an Web application system, a server application system and an integrating system, and inheriting the enterprise system basic framework to prepare a main system; utilizing the integrating system to define a hierarchical possessive relationship between the client/server application system, the Web application system and the server application system; and integrating the defined client/server application system, Web application system, server application system, integrating system and main system.
According to the present invention, the basic functions of an integrated system, which straddles the basic functions and executable environments of systems, are provided as frameworks (the enterprise system basic framework, the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework, the server application system framework and the framework for integrating systems) every executable environment relating to an enterprise system, and each of the frameworks is inherited and materialized to construct the enterprise system. Therefore, it is possible to share and reuse the basic structure of an enterprise system (the skeleton of the systems, the behavior and attributes common to the systems and so forth), so that it is possible to easily construct an enterprise system integrating systems (a stand-alone client/server application system, a network-oriented client/server application system and a server-oriented server application system) which are executed in various executable environments.
In addition, according to the present invention, the framework for integrating systems combines a group of systems, which are prepared by inheriting a plurality of sub-frameworks (the client/server application system framework, the Web application system framework and the server application system framework), respectively, by the hierarchical possessive relationship. Therefore, it is possible to easily add, delete and extend a system, so that it is possible to flexibly and easily change and extend an enterprise system in accordance with specification change and function extension.
Moreover, according to the present invention, the basic functions of a system are provided as frameworks every executable environment relating to an enterprise system. Therefore, if developers reuse and share the frameworks, it is possible to rapidly construct an enterprise system.